Крестный отец

           ThefactremainsthatjudgesandpoliticianswhowouldacceptfavorsfromDonCorleone,evenondrugs,wouldnotallowthemselvestobeinfluencedbyanybodyelsewhenitcametonarcotics.Sollozzocouldn’toperateifhedidn’thavesomeinsuranceofhispeoplebeingtreatedgently.Weallknowthat.Wewouldallbepoormenotherwise.Andnowthattheyhaveincreasedthepenaltiesthejudgesandtheprosecutingattorneysdriveahardbargainwhenoneofourpeoplegetintroublewithnarcotics.EvenaSiciliansentencedtotwentyyearsmightbreaktheomertaandtalkhisbrainsout.Thatcan’thappen.DonCorleonecontrolsallthatapparatus.Hisrefusaltoletususeitisnottheactofafriend.Hetakesthebreadoutofthemouthsofourfamilies.Timeshavechanged,it’snotliketheolddayswhereeveryonecangohisownway.IfCorleonehadallthejudgesinNewYork,thenhemustsharethemorletusothersusethem.Certainlyhecanpresentabillforsuchservices,we’renotcommunists,afterall.Buthehastoletusdrawwaterfromthewell.It’sthatsimple."

           WhenBarzinihadfinishedtalkingtherewasasilence.Thelineswerenowdrawn,therecouldbenoreturntotheoldstatusquo.WhatwasmoreimportantwasthatBarzinibyspeakingoutwassayingthatifpeacewasnotmadehewouldopenlyjointheTattagliaintheirwaragainsttheCorleone.Andhehadscoredatellingpoint.Theirlivesandtheirfortunesdependedupontheirdoingeachotherservices,thedenialofafavoraskedbyafriendwasanactofaggression.